Earth's Vengeance
Slipshod says, "This is Slipshod! I'm in the shipyard in the Warrens and we're under attack! It's the humans, they're everywhere! I don't know how they blindsided us, but we're getting pounded! Wait, what are those ships? Those aren't Terran or Autobot ships... wait a minute... Woah, everyone down, disintegrator attack! Disintegrator attack! Primus, where's it coming from!? It's destroying everything! Oh, sh--" Kzzzkh! Franklin Cross says, "Hello, Decepticons. This is General Cross of the EDC. If you're thinking of reinforcing the Warrens, don't bother. We're done there. There may have been some survivors--if so, that's a pity, but I guess you'll be seeing them shortly. Hm... what Decepticon settlement should we destroy next..." Road to Polyhex This road was once the proudest highway of Cybertron, its smooth, broad expanse leading westward to Polyhex, the rebuilt Decepticon fortress-city. But millenia of strife and the common Decepticon preference for using flight have not been kind to this area, and the road has fallen into disrepair. To the east lies a crossroads from which the Northern Highway continues northward above the cyberswamp at Cybertron's North Pole, while a deserted road lies to the southwest. Dozens of Decepticon survivors are flying towards Polyhex, transmitting panicked and somewhat contradictory reports of what happened in the warrens. But one thing is clear--Cyclonus's shipyards have been completely obliterated by an all-out attack by the EDC. And now they're coming *here.* One stragger, presumably the last, staggers along the road to Polyhex, the right side of his armor stripped away, leaving a skeletal frame behind, which can barely move. "Warn... warn Shockwave," he rasps. Then, suddenly, a dozen autocannon shells tear into his body, and the Decepticon survivor falls flat onto his face. Once he falls, Franklin Cross's NEW jump tank, Sophia II, rolls up and over the Decepticon's body, followed by a horde of various EDC soldiers on foot and in a wide variety of ground and air vehicles. "Alright men, just like last time!" Cross transmits across EDC frequencies. "Keep them pinned down until the weapon's in position!" Mysterious Attack Copter is among those hauling ass away from the Warrens, far ahead of the few survivors fleeing to Polyhex. Singe does his damndest to keep the flames on full blast, trying to throw off pursuers, while Hairsplitter processes and emits data directly to Shockwave. <> <> Singe shouts in response... <> Spinister passes over the walls of Polyhex, a defensive grid closing behind him. He transforms as he hits the ground, multiple defense units gathering around him, looking for some sort of direction. Spinister unfolds into his (terribly) mysterious robot mode! Also: Singe! Hairsplitter! Pink Techcar drives along one of the parallel highways to Polyhex. It's a tall winding road, but one that offers a good view of what is around the area. The sheer fact that the EDC has pushed onto Cybertron was staggering to her. She was onsite, coordinating with her team for some sabotage on Polyhex since it had been weakened before, but this was unexpected. She has seen the weapons the EDC are using now...Trypticon was only scrambled by the bomb, but here...it was a weapon of unprecedented warfare. Combat: Deathsat misses Jump Tank with its Kick attack! Apocryphacius finds himself in need of a face of WTF. Permeating confusion and shock is a rare thing for him; he is usually smart enough to figure most things out quickly. Right now, Apocryphacius is honestly not sure which of his faces best expresses his sheer and utter bafflement, so he keeps shifting around about every 30 seconds or so. One face will voice a word, a second the next word, stringing sentences together in slightly different voices. "I... "...what..." "/Really/?" "/Really really?!?" "For the sake of science..." One of the Sharkticons with him nudges him and rumbles, "Hungry." That would be the source of Apocryphacius's confusion. The Sharkticons with him. And the circumstances under which he came to be in their company. The Quintesson snaps, "For the 97th time, I do not have anything you would find edible on my person! Just... eat a Decepticon. Or something." He rubs his temples and stares intensely at the horizon. Someone please tell him that he had too much punch at a staff party or something and is merely having an amazingly weird dream. It would serve him right, all things considered. Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius mode. While the cannon fodder flees from the Warrens, a smaller, but more powerful squadron of fighters is soaring into Cross's view. At the head of the army is the all too familiar sight of Shockwave's ray gun mode. <> With this, the flyers suddenly split apart, with everyone maintaining their distance from one another to prevent two Cons being killed with one cybercidic stone. "He cannot hope to disintegrate the entire city with small weaponry..." Shockwave muses to himself as he takes up a position over the battlefield. "No, it is much -more- likely he is planning to destroy it with the same type of weapon he tried to destroy Trypticon." Transforming into robot mode, Shockwave casts his gaze towards Spinister. <> From here, Shockwave can see the ruins of the Warrens. Its destruction is disappointing given all the work Cyclonus put into rebuilding the sector. Cross's army seems mostly conventional, though the presence of Sharkticons is alarming. <> He does this by emiting powerful radio waves that threaten to overwhelm any frequency that isn't in use by the Decepticons! Despite not being on Cybertron's frequencies, it didn't take long for Velum to hear about Cross actually showing up near Polyhex's front door with an army. On the homeworld now of the Bots and Cons, Velum keeps to the shadows in her exo-suit for the moment, trying to scout of a proper location to get a better grasp of the situation. Thankfully she has eyes up a little higher than ground level. <> The man has seriously gone off the deep end, in her opinion, actually daring to step foot on Cybertron, bringing the war to the Cons with him. Singe stares up at Spinister after a beat. "So...he didn't mention me. You two have fun?" Spinister glares down at him. Singe smirks. "What?! Let's go melt the flesh off that mustached low functioning biped." Spinister takes back to the sky, transforming, Targetmasters becoming turrets on his wings. The mysteriously amazing attack helicopter rises over the fortifications of Polyhex, flanked by multiple fliers. <> The Mayhem Vanguard sweeps forward, weapons blasting. Find Cross. End the attack. Mayhem Attack Squad. Triggerhappy transforms into a blue and white Cybertronian aircraft. Finally, a Seeker lands near Shockwave, and forgetting himself, grabs the commander by the shoulders, looking panicked. "Shockwave! Sir! Quintessons! The humans are working with the Quintessons! I saw a Quint ship decloak right in front of me, nearly crashed into it! Then humans deployed from THEIR ships! I barely made it out of there! I--" He lets go of Shockwave, backs up. "I... sorry, sir! It's just..." He falls silent. Meanwhile, the EDC has already begun to fire upon the city, forcing Decepticons to keep their heads down behind the battlements. "Just one more moment, men, and it'll be in range!" Cross transmits to his men. That moment passes. "Alright... now for the fireworks!" And suddenly a pale beam of light rips down towards Polyhex, and the gated entrance is instantly reduced to grey dust. "Excellent! Their gates are open, MOVE IN FOR THE KILL!" And he drives his tank forward, firing first at Spinister with his machine guns! ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Combat: Your stats and limits have been reset by an administrator. Combat: Jump Tank strikes Spinister with his Pistol attack! Jump Tank doesn't realize no one can hear him until Sophia beeps a notification at him. "Oh, dammit." Deathsat(#9673Tnp) =[ TACS Object: Deathsat ] A distant, twinkling light from the ground. However, upon approach one will realize that this is no shooting star, but a horrifying harbinger of destruction. It's a large sattellite with a long energy beam cannon portruding from its spherical body. It lacks solar panels, presumably powered through some other means, and a set of spiny devices, which emit a shimmering energy, compose the rest of its surface, like a sea urchin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a weapon object, see '+help WeaponObject' for more info ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Usage Restriction: FACTION Can You Use It?: No [ TACS Weapon Object ] Pink Techcar powerslides to a stop somewhere between the EDC and Polyhex, off to the side. She quickly transforms, watching this scene unfold. She attempts to respond to Velum's questions but finds the line garbled. "Shockwave is near." It is an odd feeling for her, to watch foreign troops on home turf, one that she has never felt before, that and an old familiar feeling...helplessness. Thunder rattles forward, distorting the air before her as the crystaline gates of Polyhex are simply disintegrated. She staggers, her mouth open in sheer dismay. "They...they're going to level the entire city...What are they going to do to my home?" She grimaces, then attaches a small purple attachment to her pistol. Aiming up into the night sky, she fires a flare that sparkles and sputters, a red to purple color about it...A signal to her allied forces to fall back from Polyhex. What else can she do for now? The Global Pose Tracker marks that Pink Techcar has 'skipped' her action for this round. Apocryphacius is pretty deeply disturbed by the general situation. He was picked up by some Quintessons (not that he actually saw or met them)! They dropped him off here! He was handed a whole bunch of Sharkticons so that he could survive for a later meeting! Apocryphacius honestly does not know much about other Quintessons, but he does know this: they are pretty awful people in general. His faces shift around a bit more now, "Making a deal with -" "- one enemy to spite another -" "- does not seem the -" "- wisest -" "- course of action. Hnng..." He pokes at his radio and finds it useless, thanks to /Shockwave's jamming/. (Buy Shockwave's toy!) One of the Sharkticons helpfully offers, "Eat radio?" "No! No 'eat radio!" Apocryphacius grumps. He cannot hear what General Cross is saying due to the jamming, so he tries to think 'what would General Cross do?' but his only conclusion is, "...Something morally ambiguous and criminally reckless. Maybe challenge Shockwave to a one on one duel /while on fire/. Argh." Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius mode. Galvatron has arrived. Once he falls, Franklin Cross's NEW jump tank, Sophia II, rolls up and over the Decepticon's body, followed by a horde of various EDC soldiers on foot and in a wide variety of ground and air vehicles. "Alright men, just like last time!" Cross transmits across EDC frequencies. "Keep them pinned down until the weapon's in position!"' Exosuit waits for a response from elita, but gets none, an attempt to radio back only met with static. "Damnit.." Looks like she's stranded out here, only left with the option to fight or flee. Unfortunately she's rather stubborn and goes for the less obvious choice. "Screw it." Velum steels herself, exo roaring to full power as she steps from the shadows and makes a mad dash from right field, making a beeline for the marching EDC troops. "Cross! Cross you have to stop! You're making a massive mistake!" Unable to transmit, Velum is stuck with literally yelling across the battlefield through her exo's voice amplifiers. ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Spinister drops his nose for an attack pass as the vanguard shifts into a flying V, hoping to crush the EDC frontline with the focus and rage of a well oiled Mighty Ducks scene...Fire from Cross's tank cuts into the Targetmaster as his weapon systems lock on to the EDC commander... <> The attack copter opens fire with a blast of concentrated LASER! Spinister transforms into an Apache Attack Helicopter! A MYSTERIOUS ATTACK HELICOPTER! When word of the human's attack had reached Triggerhappy, the Targetmaster had been on his foot servos and out the hangar bay faster than Blurr could say 'Vector Sigma'. Another chance to shoot humans, yippee! And if he's in luck, Franklin Cross will be there, and he might get a chance to actually squish the pathetic fleshy before he gets away this time, disintegrators and all. He is flying near the front of the formation Shockwave is leading, eager to start causing damage. "Slag, those types never learn, do they?" he remarks to Blowpipe (or no one in particular), remembering the Bots' earlier raid on Polyhex. "Oh well, that just means more shooting practice for me!" he laughs as he follows Shockwave's lead. He then notices the Sharkticons. "Ooooh, does that mean those tentacly guys are here too? Haha!" Yes, he actually -likes- that idea. And what do you know, Franklin Cross IS here, much to Triggerhappy's additional delight. And he just can't resist. He dives out of formation and lands in front of Cross' tank. "Hey bossman of the waterbags!" he hollers. "Remember me? I think we had a little bit of -unfinished- business to finish up." He doesn't wait for a response before leveling Blowpipe straight into Cross' line of sight. Triggerhappy reverts to his root form. Combat: Triggerhappy sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Mysterious Attack Copter strikes Jump Tank with his Taking all your staplers! attack! Combat: You took 9 damage. Combat: Triggerhappy strikes Jump Tank with his Unfinished business. (Laser) attack! Combat: You took 7 damage. Shockwave is hovering high above the battlefield when the Seeker rushes up to him. "Quintesson..." he murmurs, unconcerned about being grabbed. Though he cannot be sure, Shockwave can see the pieces falling into place. The advanced new weapon targeting Cybertronians, Franklin Cross's unexpected rise to power, the ruthless desire to purge the Earth of Transformers... and, although this is far beyond his knowledge, Marissa Faireborne's illness would even be right up their alley. "Where is the Quintesson vessel now?" Shockwave demands. Or vessels. wereDespite this, he doesn't even wait for an answer, shifting the waves he's emiting to a new frequency. The Guardian of Cybertron slowly turns 360 degrees, scanning the area for evidence of this/these cloaked Quintesson ship(s). Combat: Shockwave initiates a radar sweep of the area. The jamming signal in the area disperses. Galvatron strides out of the Decepticon fortress-city's towering gates, to the cheers of the troops. The Lord of Destruction is unreliable at best, and there were reasonable fears that for whatever reason (hubris, distraction, boredom, disdain, paranoia) he wouldn't come out and stand alongside the troops. But here he is, big as life and twice as mean. "Humans, on Cybertron! How droll! I might laugh. I see my gentle attentions have made an IMPRESSION on your people!" Galvatron shouts over the battle din, absently firing a hipshot from his cannon which sends an attack helicopter tumbling to the hard ground in pieces no bigger than a matchbook. "You've come so far to meet your deaths in such a strange place! Martyrs to a strange cause! I can admire that... but not forgive it!" Galvatron strides out of the glowing ruins of the Decepticon fortress-city's once-towering gates, to the cheers of the troops. The Lord of Destruction is unreliable at best, and there were reasonable fears that for whatever reason (hubris, distraction, boredom, disdain, paranoia) he wouldn't come out and stand alongside the troops. But here he is, big as life and twice as mean. "Humans, on Cybertron! How droll! I might laugh. I see my gentle attentions have made an IMPRESSION on your people!" Galvatron shouts over the battle din, absently firing a hipshot from his cannon which sends an attack helicopter tumbling to the hard ground in pieces no bigger than a matchbook. "You've come so far to meet your deaths in such a strange place! Martyrs to a strange cause! I can admire that... but not forgive it!" Combat: Galvatron inspires Shockwave, Mysterious Attack Copter, and Triggerhappy with righteous and moving words! "I... I don't know!" the seeker says. "It must have cloaked again!" And sure enough, that prediction appears to be accurate, as Shockwave's radar sweep will reveal three Quintesson vessels, hovering over the city, all of them cloaked. And waiting. Meanwhile, Cross growls as he tries unsuccessfully to send fire requests to the weapon! Hopefully its algorithms will suffice to keep the Decepticons pinned. "DISREGARD THE AUTOBOT AND THAT NEBULAN WOMAN!" Cross booms over his PA as shots impact his tank's hull. "Press on and DESTROY those Decepticons!" Taking so much fire, he decides to go defensive, hopping up into the air and hovering away, firing autocannon rounds at Triggerhappy. "Autobots, Velum, if you're going to help, then help, otherwise stay out of our way! And you, Triggerhappy, you're right... we DO have unfinished business!" ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Combat: Jump Tank sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Jump Tank strikes Triggerhappy with his 20mm HE Autocannon attack! -1 Combat: Used up 1 Autocannon Ammo. 5 remain. GAME: Franklin Cross rolls a (6)-sided die: ROLL: Shockwave rolled a 6 ROLL: Galvatron rolled a 5 ROLL: Triggerhappy rolled a 5 ROLL: #-1 NO SUCH OBJECT VISIBLE rolled a 3 ROLL: Spinister rolled a 2 ROLL: Apocryphacius rolled a 2 ROLL: #-1 NO SUCH OBJECT VISIBLE rolled a 3 Pink Techcar , unfortunately hasn't seen the Quintesson ships, which would make this situation even more precarious. She actually hesitates for a few moments, weighing her options. "If..." She says aloud, "Cross has a last resort, he'll do something horrible. If Galvatron has his way, he'll tear through the EDC." She grunts, hefting her cannon, "Slag it. I'd rather fight Cons anyday." As she raises her eyepiece to her optics, she considers internally, "I just hope Cross knows what he is doing..." She switches her cannon onto light, but more accurate fire. Her target is same as it always is...her eternal nemesis. Even so, her heart is not in it, not when the term 'planetbuster' comes to mind... Combat: Pink Techcar sets her defense level to Protected. Combat: Pink Techcar strikes Shockwave with her Disruptor attack! Combat: Deathsat strikes Shockwave with its Disintegrator Cannon Area attack! -4 Combat: Deathsat strikes Galvatron with its Disintegrator Cannon Area attack! -4 Combat: Deathsat strikes Triggerhappy with its Disintegrator Cannon Area attack! -4 A fusillade of pale beams streak down across Polyhex, striking random gumbies, annihilating some, destroying others, and causing collateral damage! Apocryphacius manages to hear General Cross's shouting oner the PA. Destroy the Decepticons. Yeah, sure, he will get /right/ on that. He pokes one of the Sharkticons with him and grouses, "Look. You see that amazingly mysterious attack helicopter? Yes? Now go and attempt bite it. Just... leave me alone. Whatever." Thusly one Sharkticon does try to go snack on the terribly enigmatic Decepticon, but the rest still cluster around Apocryphacius, pestering him with kindergarten complaints of, 'Hungry,' 'Bored,' and 'Are us there yet?' Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius mode. Combat: Apocryphacius strikes Mysterious Attack Copter with his Inept Sharkticon Snacking (Punch) attack! Being disregarded is about the best order Cross could have given for Velum. This allows her to approach the troops easier before barreling through, trying to get to the head of the pack. "I'm not here to help you win, Cross." The Nebulan snarls, wrestling her way to the jumptank's side and laying a hand on it to try and at least hold it back if even a little. "I'm here to make you see reason. This is foolish! They'll kill you, or worse! And for what? /Fall back./" All the while she attempts to stay low of the fire, though that's not easy to do when you stand right beside the target. A few glancing shots already have her annoyed enough to turn a few shots back at the Cons, hoping to fend off one or two. So for now she aims for the sky, and a particular Targetmaster she's none too fond of. Combat: Exosuit strikes Mysterious Attack Copter with her Laser attack! ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Mysterious Attack Copter pulls up as Cross's sentries open fire, weaving in and out of harm's way. "Triggerhappy, damn you, out of my-" a massive beam strikes Triggerhappy. "Primus...What the?!" Spinister was not expecting Sharkticons. But then, who does? He transforms, punching the primitive robot in it's primitive face, shattering it's teeth when a blast comes from a new attacker...<> Singe snarls, and pulls Spinister's arm away from Cross and towards the lady Leb, a burst of flames spewing at her. "You and Galen and every other spineless Nebulon will burn, witch!" Singe shrieks as Hairsplitter blasts at Sharkticons. The hell is going on today? Spinister unfolds into his (terribly) mysterious robot mode! Also: Singe! Hairsplitter! Combat: Spinister strikes Exosuit with his angry hadoken! attack! Triggerhappy was in the middle of shooting at Cross' Sophia II when Galvatron suddenly stepped out onto the battlefield. The mere sight of his powerhouse of a leader has always been a boon to confidence. Now with both Shockwave and Galvatron on the scene, how could the humans possibly accomplish anything but getting thier fleshy bodies torn to shreds? Ha! He laughs at Cross' response. "Yeah, unfinished business involving me turning you into a little wet mess on the ground! Hahhaha!" The Targetmaster is about to fire at him again when a bunch of energy beams suddenly streak across the city, grazing his back. He stands there, stunned for a moment, then laughs again. "Pffff, was -that- your disintegrator thing? Because I thought it would actually hurt more than -that-." Especially considering the way Motormaster had been acting at that landfill on Earth the other orbital cycle. His back armor is a little singed but besides that he is not much the worse for wear, and he fires off a couple more rounds in Cross' general direction, which happens to include Velum since she's standing nearby. Combat: Triggerhappy misses Jump Tank with his That's it? (Full-Auto) Area attack! -1 Combat: Triggerhappy strikes Exosuit with his That's it? (Full-Auto) Area attack! -1 Galvatron's paint peels a little as the space rays wash over him, but the metal underneath is gleaming and polished. Is it not working? Is it something about Galvatron himself? "Franklin Cross! You came looking for me? Here I am!" Galvatron spreads his arms wide, cannon glowing as he charges it up. "I am here for you! Are you honored? I know your NAME, human! You should be pleased that I deigned to learn it, before it passes into history!" He breaks into a run towards Cross' jump tank, pulsing his cannon as he sprints towards the battle lines! The weapon speaks, and Shockwave is one of its victims. Struck from the beam from the sky, Shockwave cranes his neck upwards, pinpointing the location of the killsat. <> He gestures to a squadron of Seekers--included in which is the one that save him his info--to follow him. Streaking upwards into the sky, Shockwave passes above the Quintesson vessels. <> he cautions, ready in case the squids make their move. As he ascends, Shockwave and the Seekers fire upon the satellite, trying to punch a hole through its hull. Combat: Shockwave strikes Deathsat with his Irradiate attack! Deathsat> Combat: You took 18 damage. Combat: Galvatron strikes Jump Tank with his Fusion Cannon attack! -11 Combat: You took 12 damage. Combat: Galvatron's attack has damaged your Firepower! Combat: Galvatron's attack damages your armor. As Shockwave ascends, he takes a blast from behind. He doesn't actually realize it was Elita One that's responsible; with all the firepower being slung out there, it could have been anyone. Elita now has to decide what to do as Shockwave likely pulls out of range. "I don't care, Velum!" Cross says, gritting his teeth as Velum grabs his tank. "I have nothing to lose, and this is Earth's best, last shot at destroying the Decepticon menace once and for all time! If I have to die to make that happen, fine! Better that than risk the threat of these robotic monsters either destroying or enslaving the human race! Now... let... GO!" He jams down hard on his jump jets, and either Velum will have to let go or they'll both be flung upwards into the air. Cross manages to avoid Triggerhappy's shots. Unfortunately, Galvatron's shot smacks into the tank's underside, and circuits spark within. "Damn!" He tries bringing the tank down in front of Apocryphacius. "Need a quick patch-up, Apocryphacius! Make it fast, because Galvatron looks like he wants a piece of me!" Cross, meanwhile, begins scanning Galvatron for... well... *anything.* The Death takes several hits from the Decepticons, though there's an odd, shimmering distortion around it that seems to reduce the energy of the shots. Still, some of the shots do connect and some of the spines are severed. Even so, it seems only slightly damaged. And then the gravitic distortion expands, threatening to envelop the Decepticon attackers even as it fires more shots down at the ground. Combat: Franklin Cross analyzes Galvatron for weaknesses. GAME: Franklin Cross rolls a (6)-sided die: ROLL: Galvatron rolled a 4 ROLL: Apocryphacius rolled a 4 ROLL: Triggerhappy rolled a 1 ROLL: Spinister rolled a 1 ROLL: Elita One rolled a 1 Combat: Deathsat strikes Galvatron with its Disintegrator Cannon Area attack! -2 Combat: Deathsat strikes Shockwave with its Disintegrator Cannon Area attack! -2 ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Apocryphacius was not expecting Sharkticons, either, if that makes Spinister feel any better. He wonders if he should feel upset about Spinister injuring the Shakticon. Are Sharkticons actually people or not? Apocryphacius knows that proper Transformers are people, but Sharkticons are kind of bad knock offs. Besides whether or not Sharkticons are people, Apocryphacius has never had anyone under his command before! He should be responsible for the welfare of these Sharkticons, right? Almostly bashfully, he tenders, "Er... you." Do they even have names? "You, go help... him," and he points at the Sharkticon with the bashed-in face. Meanwhile, Cross is doing one of his typical 'has no fear gene' things, but despite Apocryphacius's dislike of his commander's recklessness, he does obey, hovering on over to enact repairs upon the jump tank. Mysterious green goo and a stapler are involved. Combat: Apocryphacius sets his defense level to Protected. Pink Techcar scowls again. Not even a notice. Perhaps her time with the main Autobot forces have left her weak. She clenches a fist as Shockwave just races away. Galvatron himself soon takes her notice, as he starts to bust up the EDC forces. Her optics narrow, "Like...Hell." Elita rushes in on foot, into the fray! Her first course of action, melee with Galvatron! She raises her arm, just before the tackle attempt, snarling, "You'd better not bomb my planet, Cross!" Combat: Pink Techcar sets her defense level to Neutral. Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius mode. Combat: Apocryphacius quickly patches up some of Jump Tank 's minor injuries. Combat: Pink Techcar strikes Galvatron with her Smash attack! A grimace actually comes to Velum's face when Cross speaks, grip loosening on his tank as she looks on with ...pity? "But you do have something to lose. The Earth. And the men and women you're leading blinding to their deaths. And you're wrong. This won't destroy them and you know it. That's why we worked with the Autobots, to fight together. You have to turn back--" But her words are cut off when Cross jumps away, leaving her. He's a fool, and yet she feels bad for him. But thinking on such things will have to wait, reality coming back and greeting her with a charging Galvatron. Thankfully she's smart enough to make a dash out of the way, though Spinister and Triggerhapy catch her up on her way with a wash of flames and rounds. "Ergh.. Back off! My fight isn't with you right now!" But words likely won't matter much to them on the battlefield, so the Nebulan just decides to fire back. The rather hefty looking cannon attatched to her exo's back soon shift up to her shoulder, handholds at the end popping up to help her aim the bright blue glow in the barrel that whirrs to life and fires off a large blast of energy at Spinister. Combat: Exosuit sets her defense level to Aggressive. ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Triggerhappy ignores Spinister's annoyed exclamation, having noticed Shockwave and the squadron of aerial troops he had come with pulling away and ascending toward something in the sky. Likely the thing from whence the disintegrator rays had come. Right...he was probably supposed to be with them. "I'll have to get back to you later, fleshy. Besides, looks like you're gonna be busy with Galvatron, anyway!" he cackles, before transforming and flying up after Shockwave and the others. Upon spotting the disintegrator weapon, he examines the strange satellite for a few moments before directing a question at Shockwave. "Hey couldn't we steal the thing or something?" Didn't -look- like anything or anyone was guarding it. Yet, anyway... Combat: Triggerhappy takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Road to Polyhex This road was once the proudest highway of Cybertron, its smooth, broad expanse leading westward to Polyhex, the rebuilt Decepticon fortress-city. But millenia of strife and the common Decepticon preference for using flight have not been kind to this area, and the road has fallen into disrepair. To the east lies a crossroads from which the Northern Highway continues northward above the cyberswamp at Cybertron's North Pole, while a deserted road lies to the southwest. Contents: Galvatron Deathsat Exosuit Apocryphacius Pink Techcar Shockwave Triggerhappy Obvious exits: Fly leads to Sky above Outskirts of Polyhex. Southwest leads to Deserted Roadway. East leads to Northern Crossroads. West leads to Gates of New Polyhex. Combat: Exosuit strikes Spinister with her Nebula Cannon attack! The wave around the killsat expands, washing over him and his soldiers. Several Seekers turn into grey mush, but Shockwave keeps pressing. Even as he tries to evade the weapon, he races through the questions. How did they get this thing here? Was it cloaked by the Quintessons? Did it come out of FTL? Did the Autobots know about it? Perhaps it doesn't matter just yet. Glancing down, Shockwave sees his chest plate start to buckle as grey goo starts to overwhelm the ultra hard armour. "Unlikely... a Transformer could not survive within it," he replies to the newly arrived Triggerhappy. Having the Targetmaster on his side will be vital if they're going to stop this thing. Faltering for only a moment, Shockwave ramps up the offense in a desperate attempt to defend the Decepticon capital. "I must protect Cybertron from all hostile threats," Shockwave emits as his arms fold over his head, barrel sliding in from subspace as his legs clamp together. "Triggerhappy, concentrate your firepower. We must break through its shielding!" Shockwave fires a terrifying blast of concentrated force. Shockwave's legs combine as his back unfolds. A wide, silver barrel appears out of subspace and connects to his arms, completing his transformation into ray gun mode. Combat: Laser Gun strikes Deathsat with his Shoxcannon attack! Deathsat> Combat: You took 24 damage. Spinister mind zaps Singe, or whatever it is that these guys do to each other. "FOCUS, Singe. The wench is not our target." Spinister tosses the dead body of a fallen Sweep at an EDC exo, causing a big unexplainable explosion. He then focuses both weapons on Cross: "For the Empire!" Fire. Lasers. Awesome. Galvatron reels out his shock flail as Elita charges him and ploughs through her heedlessly, swinging for the fences as he crashes into the EDC lines like a highway accident, no brakes, pedal to the floor. Men and machines go tumbling with shrapnel shards and blood spray flying as Galvatron sweeps his flail through the EDC lines, first one way and then the other, with a mad, gleeful gleam in his eye. "Do you understand your error yet, Cross? Do you see what you did wrong? I am NOT Cybertron's favored son! I am the dark horse! I was recast in unholy fires! I am cauldron-born! There is no Cybertronium in me! Feel my power and know the truth I speak!" Combat: Galvatron sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Spinister sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Spinister strikes Jump Tank with his SUPER SAIYAN TARGETMASTER ATTACK attack! Combat: Spinister uses up a charge on his Double Targetmasters booster pack! Combat: You took 11 damage. Combat: Galvatron strikes Pink Techcar with his Mace of Sauron Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Pink Techcar 's Accuracy. (Blinded) Combat: Galvatron misses Jump Tank with his Mace of Sauron Area attack! Combat: Galvatron strikes Apocryphacius with his Mace of Sauron Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Apocryphacius 's Accuracy. (Blinded) Combat: Galvatron strikes Exosuit with his Mace of Sauron Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Exosuit 's Accuracy. (Blinded) Jump Tank 's armor is reattached via the power of mysterious green goo and less mysterious staples! But just as his wounds are healed, he's damaged once again! But fortunately he's able to hop up and over Galvatron just before the flail slams down on him. "So what, Galvatron? Most of your men are made of it, and I have plenty of weapons to bring YOU down!" And from the back of the tank, a missile pops out and flies into Galvatron's back, hopefully seeking out a weakspot! Meanwhile, the Satellite takes a massive hit, the field around it blinking out. Then, as if it was relying on that field for propulsion, the Satellite begins to drop down to the ground, but it fires back at Shockwave as it descends! Combat: Error: 'aggressive=image' is not a valid defense level. Please see '!defend' for a list of valid entries. Combat: Jump Tank sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Jump Tank strikes Galvatron with his Image Recognition Missile attack! Combat: Removing analysis data for Galvatron. Combat: Used up 1 Guided Missile. 1 remain. Combat: Deathsat strikes Laser Gun with its Disintegrator Cannon attack! Jump Tank then adds, "Not the whole planet, Elita, just this part!" ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) The pale green ichor of a Quintesson joins the blood and fuel in the air as that Epic Flail catches Apocryphacius square-on and cracks his egg-like body. Oozing life, the Quintesson pulls out a kit... not the same kit that he used to repair the Jump Tank, though. There are good EDC soldiers out there dying, and there are Sharkticons getting hurt (Science help him, but he is starting to feel bad for the Sharkticons he is babysitting), and... well, Elita One is okay, he guesses. Apocryphacius could take a moment and repair himself, but that would do nothing to help any of those brave EDC servicemen! What /will/ help is getting rid of some of their enemies. So he pulls together some heart medication, a coffee mug, and some suspicious blinking lights, and then he throws it in the general direction of the Decepticons. Combat: Apocryphacius sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Apocryphacius has created a bomb: "Suspicious Blinking Lights"! Combat: Apocryphacius strikes Galvatron with Suspicious Blinking Lights's Huge Explosion #11058 Area attack! Combat: Apocryphacius 's Suspicious Blinking Lights is destroyed! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Galvatron's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Apocryphacius strikes Laser Gun with Suspicious Blinking Lights's Huge Explosion #11058 Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Laser Gun 's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Apocryphacius strikes Spinister with Suspicious Blinking Lights's Huge Explosion #11058 Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Spinister's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Apocryphacius strikes Triggerhappy with Suspicious Blinking Lights's Huge Explosion #11058 Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Triggerhappy's Agility. (Crippled) Pink Techcar is sent flying! A grimace on her face as her faceplate is cracked. She goes sailing, chin first, she is sent backwards into Sophia 2, skidding over the entire tank in a haphazard tumble, before falling onto the other side of the vehicle. Elita rolls over onto her stomach, pain coursing through her body. She shudders before picking herself back up. Pieces of her are left behind as she does. "No, Galvatron...." She murmurs through her broken jaw. "All that has happened here is that someone you've bullied all these years has decided in desperation....to do something horrible in retaliation." As she reveals herself from behind the tank, it is noticed half of her face is shattered, dark grey metal beneath the pink exterior. One working blue eye as well. "H..How many bombs did you bring, Cross? The satellite...that's not your work either is it? You're both mad. Just part of my planet, Cross? How much of my planet do you need to destroy to save it, hmm? Damn you, Cross. DAMN YOU for your arrogant, pigheaded, stubborn manipulations." She points an accusing finger at Galvatron, "Damn you too, Galvatron, you're a dark horse indeed. One that, in your care, our world turned from golden and vibrant to this near dead place. Is this your grand work, Galvatron? A lifeless husk? You've had EONS to back up your claim of being a ruler of the planet, you've had MEGACYCLES to restore this planet. But no, Just war." Her cannon powers up, a glow at the tip of it "Just your stupid..." She raises it to Galvatron, "..pointless war." The futuristic car breaks open in the middle, as the legs form upward. Her hood shifts into her armor plating with her arms coming together at the last, turning into Elita One's robot mode. Combat: Elita One sets her defense level to Fearless. Combat: Elita One strikes Galvatron with her Plasma Cannon attack! Exosuit is left unawares to the world for only moments around her while aiming her cannon. But once her blast lands and she comes out of tagetting mode, Galvatron's swath of carnage across the EDC military catches up with her, massive, spiked ball at the end of his flail slamming into her suit and sending her well off into the sidelines with a hard thud on the metal terrain. Sparks and smoke rise from the bashed exo as it lays there on its back, Velum out for thankfully less than a minute. "Ergh... That hurt.." She groans, touching her forehead and spying the fresh blood on her fingers from the gash at her hairline. Despite the minor concussion, what makes matters worse is her suit's visual and targeting systems now flicker and die out now and again, Velum only left with the cracked, reinforced bit of glass she's allowed to look through. She's royally boned right now, taking a moment from the fight to try and get her exo to actually respond. Combat: Exosuit takes extra time to steady herself. Pass ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) And Triggerhappy is perfectly fine with that. In fact, personally he'd probably prefer just blowing it up anyway. Certainly much more fun than lugging it off somewhere, that was for sure. And really, he isn't hard to please. He's happy as long as he gets to shoot something or someone. "Affirmative, sir!" The Targetmaster confirms, for the most part ignoring Shockwave's valiant 'I-must-protect-Cybertron' speech and begins blasting away at the satellite with his photon pulse guns, flying after it even as it is falling toward the ground. Chasing after the weapon ended up being a bad idea, though (as if -that's- anything new), since the Quintesson's bomb went off just as he was nearing the ground. The jet is sent flying backward and upward before finally crashing into a dilapidated building and disappearing behind a wall of falling debris. Triggerhappy transforms into a blue and white Cybertronian aircraft. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter 's Photon-Pulse Guns attack on Deathsat goes wild! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Spinister with his Photon-Pulse Guns attack! Combat: Spinister falls to the ground, unconscious. A tremendous barrage of energy beams, missiles, and improvised explosive devices detonate all around Galvatron, hurling him backwards a hundred yards, where he bounces twice before stabbing his fingers into the ground to stop himself, and pulls himself back up. "That's why you won't win, girl," Galvatron sneers. "You don't understand war. What you do is mere sabotage. You think I ever meant to be a 'ruler' in Prime's mold? A benevolent, kindly father? A dear leader? I'm the Lord of Destruction! Do you understand what that means? I destroy what I touch, because I AM WAR!" Galvatron transforms. There have been a lot of explosions and confusion. Spinister? No where to be found. Hairsplitter? Gone. Stepping out of the smoke near Velum, Singe steps into picture. "Velum." He smiles. "Looks like the world's ending." Combat: Fusion Artillery strikes Elita One with his The Cost of War attack! Combat: Elita One falls to the ground, unconscious. Laser Gun hits the satellite with everything he has, and the satellite begins to fall. Seekers cheer!... up until the device fires again, obliterating the lot of them. For his part, Shockwave's handle is practically melted from the beam, and his thrusters suddenly cut out they merge together in a horrible gooey mesh of silver and purple. Transforming in the most awkward, painful way manner as his arms and legs almost fail to separate properly, Shockwave plummets towards the ground... ...right into Apocryphacius's explosion. The detonation sends Shockwave smashing into the battered walls of Polyhex, collapsing a huge section of it and burying Shockwave in rubble. All this happens as Galvatron shifts into cannon mode and blasts Elita One. This, Decepticons, is why he's your leader. Shockwave's handle separates into legs as his barrel splits into arms. Straightening out, he completes his transformation into robot mode. Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Shockwave takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Jump Tank sees a massive blast that envelops Elita One, obscuring her. Unconcerned he drives through the smoke erupting from the impact. Then... THUMP THUMP! Woops, looks like he just drove over something. Oh, well, just some stupid robot. That robot being Elita One. Like the names matter. He bounds across towards Galvatron once in range, trying to ram the drill into the cannon. Then the Deathsat drops down further, firing a few more shots across the breadth of Polyhex, which looks devastated by now from the constant fire. And then, as the Deathsat descends, it emits a loud warning to EDC forces, which con forces also hear. "WARNING: SELF-DESTRUCT ACTIVATED. EDC FORCES MUST EVACUATE." Cross hears some radio chatter, now that the radio came back, of the men wondering why they have to leave if the weapon won't hurt them. Cross explains, "No, with this much Cybertronium being disintegrated, we'll all be fried by the heat and electricity released! We have to leave!" For the second time in merely a month, Elita One is brutalized by Galvatron's sheer power. The beam cores her, even as she reaches out accusingly. Horror and agony are caught frozen in time, as a painful, shrill cry is heard. Smoking, with a hole through her...again, she collapses. Her arm reaches out forward as she struggles in vain to pull herself up, scratching on the cold metal of her home. "E...E...Even...even when.....Zzzyber...tron...diezzzzzz" The lights go out in her eyes. Jump Tank sees a massive blast that envelops Elita One, obscuring her. Unconcerned he drives through the smoke erupting from the impact. Then... THUMP THUMP! Woops, looks like he just drove over something. Oh, well, just some stupid robot. That robot being Elita One. Like the names matter. He bounds across towards Galvatron once in range, trying to ram the drill into the cannon. "You talk like you're a God, Galvatron. You're not. You're mortal, just like all the other Decepticons we killed today. And you're simply next on the list!" Then the Deathsat drops down further, firing a few more shots across the breadth of Polyhex, which looks devastated by now from the constant fire. And then, as the Deathsat descends, it emits a loud warning to EDC forces, which con forces also hear. "WARNING: SELF-DESTRUCT ACTIVATED. EDC FORCES MUST EVACUATE." Cross hears some radio chatter, now that the radio came back, of the men wondering why they have to leave if the weapon won't hurt them. Cross explains, "No, with this much Cybertronium being disintegrated, we'll all be fried by the heat and electricity released! We have to leave!" Combat: Jump Tank strikes Fusion Artillery with his Drill attack! GAME: Franklin Cross rolls a (6)-sided die: ROLL: Triggerhappy rolled a 6 ROLL: Apocryphacius rolled a 3 ROLL: Galvatron rolled a 2 ROLL: Shockwave rolled a 1 Combat: Deathsat strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter with its Disintegrator Cannon attack! -5 ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Exosuit at least manages to get her suit sitting upright when Singe passes through the smoke, approaching her. He can't see it, but she's scowling a little behind the heavily cracked glass, her voice emiting from the exo. "A shame. I wish I could be spending it beside someone a bit more desirable." She snorts softly, suit turning to him. "But I highly doubt it's the end. We're all too stubborn to die like this, caught up in Cross's delusion." She'd shoot him now, but for the moment Velum can barely keep her suit sitting up, let alone firing. After a moment her radio miraculously buzzes back to life with the roar of confused and panicing soldiers, making her curse softly before leaning over and tapping in a few things on the slightly damaged console. She saw him earlier patching Cross, so maybe he'd come to her aid too. <> Apocryphacius is helped up by a pair of Sharkticons, still dripping ichor. His head rings a bit, and his radio crackles to life. He considers for a moment. Does he not, as a medical professional, have a duty to render aid to those who request it of him, provided they are not egregiously evil? As far as he can tell, Velum is an okay person, just... mutinous. Apocryphacius hobbles on over to Velum with the help of those Sharkticons and slaps some duct tape and superglue on her exo to give it some hasty repairs. Apocryphacius totally uses his Heal ability to do this, not Repair or Construction. Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius mode. Apocryphacius defend protected Combat: Apocryphacius sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Apocryphacius quickly patches up some of Exosuit 's minor injuries. Combat: Apocryphacius runs a diagnostic check on Exosuit Combat: Exosuit takes extra time to steady herself. Pass ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) So it turns out that the bomb actually sent Triggerhappy's targeting systems flying out of control in addition to sending him into a wall. As a result, the pulse guns fire randomly, striking Spinister (again) and knocking the other Targetmaster into stasis lock. Seriously though, Triggerhappy doesn't have anything against Spinister! He swears by Vector Sigma itself... Anyway, the Targestmaster is slowly pulling himself out of the rubble, now. His circuits are sparking and his armor is cracked; he's down but he's not out just yet. Just then, the weapon is going to self-destruct. "Aww, slaggit! I wanted to shoot at it some--" But just as he's managed to stand up and get his bearings, he is struck by the disintegrator beams again, and part of his leg armor is turned to dust. It didn't do much more damage than the last hit, but it hurts a lot more thanks to his already weakened state. Still, Triggerhappy isn't one to feel sorry for himself. He staggers backward after the ray's impact, but doesn't quite fall back, firing his weapon off at random in the general direction of the enemy. Oh, the feeling of the blaster going off in his hand...it was so -delightful-. He thinks to himself, a grin slowing spreading across his face. He also notices Mr. Tentacles moving across his field of view to help Velum, and takes care to not to exclude him from the fun! Triggerhappy reverts to his root form. Combat: Triggerhappy strikes Exosuit with his Wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun Mr. Tentacles! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Triggerhappy misses Apocryphacius with his Wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun Mr. Tentacles! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Triggerhappy misses Jump Tank with his Wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun Mr. Tentacles! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Galvatron straightens up and converts his supports back into limbs, his cannon sliding down and locking into place on his arm as his scowling face rises from his shoulders. Singe just smiles, flames starting gather in his palms. "Someone more desirable...Someone like Galen? A liar and a fraud...It's time someone burned some sense into you. It's time..." He freezes. "I...Spinister?" Singe looks into the distance for a moment, and then scowls, shooting a final look at Velum before hauling ass back into the chaos. Galvatron stands up, grimacing at a grinding in his gears as he does so; something hitching in his hip from that explosion, and the rough landing. He glances up at the falling satellite. "Decepticons, clear the blast radius! Follow Shockwave to the minimum safe distance!" He glares at the human leader. "Take your trash with you when you leave, Cross." With a rumble of his cannon firing on thruster power Galvatron lifts off and rockets away in a sizzling arc across the sky. Combat: Galvatron sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Galvatron begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Shockwave and Jump Tank Shockwave pushes himself out from the rubble of the Polyhex wall in time to see the killsat announce its self destruct sequence. One quick scan reveals that there's no trickery involved. After firing a quick transmission advising on a retreat, Shockwave sprints through the broken gates--rocket boosters were melted--while a horde of Decepticons chase after him. Galvatron mentions a 'minimum safe distance', but Shockwave has no idea what that is. Combat: Shockwave begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. Jump Tank scans upwards, watching the satellite descend. Sophia II helpfully calculates the impact point, and Cross growls. "Dammit, it could have landed ON the city, rather than the outskirts. Alright, let's get out of here, men. And I'll be finishing you off later, Galvatron!" He rolls over to Apocryphacius, and announces, "Apocryphacius, get on, quickly, we're bugging out and we have seconds to spare!" ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Shockwave will notice that the Quintesson ships have already begun to back out and apparently were quite happy to lend virtually no aid to the fight. Apocryphacius shouts at Triggerhappy, flying off the handle, "I just fixed that!" His Sharkticon escorts, though, rather roughly drag him off when General Cross declares that it is time to retreat. Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius mode. Combat: Apocryphacius begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Shockwave, Galvatron, Jump Tank , and Exosuit Exosuit is glad to see Apoc oblige and make his way open to make a few swift repairs to keep her suit functioning. She says nothing to Singe however when he speaks before running off, the woman snorting softly and muttering, "All these years and he's still sore over her." What, did Velum remind him of Llyra or something? She certainly hopes not. The woman was nice enough, but she can't say she'd be good friends with her or anything. Besides, does Velum look anything like some scantily clad blonde? Of course not, she's a war grizzled, brunette veteran. But all in all, once her exo is able to stand she returns from her thoughts to be blasted yet again, albeit not as badly as before, by Triggerhappy and Blowpipe. "Hey! He just fixed that!" She unintentionally mimics the Quint before shifting her cannon back onto her shoulder and firing off another blast of energy at the pair. Whether she hits or not isn't her concern, using it more as distraction while Apoc escapes and she follows suit. Exosuit also notedly makes sure to drag off Elita on her way out. Combat: Exosuit strikes Triggerhappy with her Nebula Cannon attack! Jump Tank , seeing that the Sharkticons have Apocryphacius well in hand (literally), begins to drive away from the impact point. And once the satellite hits the ground... KAZHOOOOOOM! A dome of brilliant white light expands from the impact point, just like at Muskrat Falls. The dome overlaps some of Polyhex's outer walls, annihilating them, and destroying several structures from within, but fortunately for the Decepticons, the satellite self-destructed too far from the city to destroy it completely. Even so, Polyhex lies smouldering from this attack and will need extensive repairs... which the Decepticons may not have time for. "Don't be discouraged, men!" Cross transmits over general frequencies. "We made good progress and we've shown the enemy we can hurt them. And trust me, this isn't the last thing we can throw at the Decepticons, either! For now, head to our field camp for resupply and repair!" As the familiar white energy dissipates, Shockwave slows and turns around, staring in the direction of where the walls and towers stood just moments ago. Just grey goo is left to signify that they were ever there in the first place. <> Shockwave orders his Seekers. <> He'd do it himself if his thrusters hadn't turned into mush. Triggerhappy curses when he misses Apocryphacius. He'd wanted to at least score one hit on the Quintesson. Well, he hit -one- of them, anyway. But then Galvatron is ordering a retreat. Wait, Galvatron ordering a retreat?! Oh, right...that thing had said it was going to self-destruct. The Targetmaster is disappointed in having to retreat early, but orders are orders. Velum's cannon hits him in the back as he turns away, causing him to stagger a bit, but he resists the urge to retaliate. The Targetmaster transforms and flies off after Shockwave and Galvatron, just managing to remember to pick up Spinister along the way just astroseconds before the explosion goes off, though the perimeter of it manages to clip him in the afterburners. Still, given the circumstances, he'd gotten away from this one fairly unscathed. Compared to the last couple of scuffles he'd been in, anyway. And here's some of the radio chatter during the scene. Triggerhappy is excited. "Does that mean I get to shoot humans again?" Elita One says, "What the...Cross is on Cybertron?" Spinister says, "This is Spinister. First wave Mayhem Attack Squad has been dispatched..." Spinister says, "Update...They...they've been dispatched." Shockwave says, "Decepticons, move to reinforce Polyhex. Aerospace, I require information on the enemy numbers, types, and locations." Contrail says, "As you command, sir." Spinister says, "Forward suicide units depleted..." Elita One says, "Autobots, please! Respond if you can hear me!" Elita One says, "Blast..must be still jammed" Shockwave says, "Decepticons, the *true* masterminds behind Earth Defence Command's successes have been revealed." Shockwave transmits the results of his radar sweep, revealing the location of the three Quintesson vessels. Triggerhappy says, "Ooo! More things to shoot at! Thanks, Shockwave!" Contrail says, "Was it us?" Galvatron says, "Filthy squid! I will tear their faces off when I catch them! But first we must pull the humans' teeth! Destroy their disintegrator weapon and slay them all! I will break their leader! Shockwave, I leave the Quintessons to you!" Shockwave says, "I will focus on the satellite first, Galvatron. It is the more immediate threat." Galvatron says, "Yes, yes. Just do it!" Shockwave says, "Galvatron, we will be unable to destroy the satellite with the forces we have here." Shockwave says, "It is falling but not destroyed." Triggerhappy says, "Think the impact'll kill it?" Shockwave says, "Uncer-*bzzt*" Group: Reports Title: Quintessons Working With EDC? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Watchers of news blogs will notice a story that was being circulated. Apparently, an anonymous source claiming to be an EDC soldier claims that he was just ordered to board a Quintesson vessel. He had no time to provide further comment, apparently. Then, mere minutes later, those blogs were all taken down. Even the Google archives of the articles have been deleted. The mainstream media has run no stories on this development, despite its obvious historic nature. While it may be that this was done to prevent the Decepticons from learning of a potential attack, it could also mean something else. A pity no one's breaking the story! What the mainstream media is reporting, with glowing praise, is the EDC's "Overwhelming Victory" over the Decepticons on Cybertron, citing that a Decepticon shipyard was destroyed and massive damage was done to one of their cities, and they're calling it "The Beginning of the End" for the Decepticons. Numerous pundits and commentators are declaring the war "already over at this point" and saying things like, "What did we even need the Autobots for, anyway?" Not so much as a peep on how the EDC got the jump on the Decepticons, though... And, with rumors of the UN about to announce its decision on the rights of aliens, there's much for those keeping an eye on the news to worry about.